News Briefs
Sussex County Council meeting set April 30
Sussex County Council will meet at 10 a.m., Tuesday, April 30, in the county administration building on The Circle in Georgetown. On the agenda is an update on the Greenwood library project and a discussion on two proposed economic development grants. Council also has a luncheon scheduled with Sussex Conservation District. See a complete agenda at sussexcountyde.gov.
Rehoboth alderman charter change OK’d
The Rehoboth Beach commissioners unanimously approved authorizing Mayor Sam Cooper to request the General Assembly enact a charter change clarifying the role of the city’s Alderman Court.
The Alderman’s Court hears traffic, civil and misdemeanor criminal cases. The charter change codifies the desire of the state to give the alderman more autonomy.
Under the change, the alderman would be recommended by the city commissioners, appointed by the governor and approved by the state Senate. The alderman would serve a two-year term and could not be removed unless the city could show cause to the state Court of the Judiciary.
City officials were not happy with the change because there have been no reported problems with the court. However, the city needs to hire a new alderman after Judge Judy Catterton decided to step down. State officials indicated to the city that a new alderman would not be approved without the charter change.
Catterton has told the city commissioners she will stay as judge until a replacement is found.
Rehoboth hazardous waste collection set
The city of Rehoboth Beach and Delaware Solid Waste Authority have joined together to host a one-time-only household hazardous waste collection event, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., Saturday, May 18, in the parking lot behind the Rehoboth Beach Volunteer Fire Company, 219 Rehoboth Ave.
The event is available to all Delaware residents and provides a safe method for safe disposal of harmful household items.
The following items can be brought: Cleaning products – aerosol cans, bleach, chemistry kits, nail polish, polish removers, perfumes, disinfectants, drain cleaners, floor wax, mercury thermometers, moth balls, oven cleaner, spot remover, toilet cleaner, fluorescent light bulbs and needles Explosives – ammunition, firecrackers and gunpowder Garden/yard items – corrosives, nonlatex paints, small compressed gas cylinders, solvents, stains, strippers, thinners, varnish, wood preservatives, fungicides, herbicides, pesticides and pool chemicals Automotive items – antifreeze, auto batteries, degreasers, waste fuels such as gas and kerosene and used motor oil mixed with other fuels.
Items should be brought in their original sealed containers. Products should not be mixed, and to prevent leaks, items should be packed separately in absorbent material or triple bagged. Bring rags to clean up spills and dispose of the rags at the collection site.
The collection will not accept asbestos, unknown items greater than one gallon or eight pounds, radioactive waste, latex paint, used motor oil and prescription drugs.
For a complete list of what is accepted, visit the Delaware Solid Waste Authority website, www.dswa.com.
Owen to take seat on Lewes BPW
A. Thomas Owen took the oath office to serve on the Lewes Board of Public Works at the board’s April 24 meeting in City Hall.
As of the April 4 filing deadline, only Owen, 71, and Pres Lee, 67, a one-term incumbent, had filed to run for two open seats on the panel. Having no other challengers, there is no need for the Saturday, May 11 BPW election.
Owen filed following board member Candace Vessella’s decision to withdraw from the BPW race and become a candidate for a Lewes City Council seat.
Owen said he would to contribute to the board because of his business and risk-management experience.
He holds a bachelor’s degree in history from Washington & Lee University, Lexington, Va.
Owen currently serves on Lewes Board of Adjustment and served on Lewes Canalfront Park’s final phase fundraising committee.
In 1964 he began a career in the insurance industry, with Chubb & Sons Insurance, in New York City, where he specialized in risk management and property casualty insurance.
Owen earned an associate’s degree in risk management, and became a chartered property casualty underwriter. In 1970 he started Owen Inc., an independent insurance a gency in York, Pa. Owen and wife Libby were seasonal Lewes residents for several years before he retired in 2006 and moved to the city permanently. They have been married 42 years and live on Burton Avenue.
Crime Victims’ Tribute set for May 1 in Dover
The Delaware Victims’ Rights Task Force is a coalition of criminal justice and social service agencies working together to assist victims and survivors of violent crime. The DVRTF will hold its 22nd Annual Tribute to Crime Victims and Survivors Wednesday, May 1, at the Sheraton Dover Hotel in Dover. The event is part of a nationwide campaign to observe National Crime Victims’ Rights Week.
Doors will open at 5:30 p.m. and the program will begin at 6:30. There will be tables with free materials to promote services offered to victims of crime.
The evening’s keynote speaker is Marilyn Van Derbur, Miss America 1958. Van Derbur tells how she was sexually assaulted by her prominent, millionaire father from age 5 to 18. She was 53 years old before she was able to speak the words in public, “I am an incest survivor.”
She opened the door for tens of thousands of sexual abuse survivors to also speak the words, many for the first time, within their own families and communities.
She has recently published her book, “Miss America by Day”; it will be available for sale after the Victim’s Tribute and she will be available for a book signing. Cash and checks only accepted.
The DVRTF will also hold a program with Marilyn Van Derbur at 6:30 p.m., Thursday, May 2, in the Cape Henlopen High School auditorium; doors open at 5:30. For more information email DelVRTF@gmail.com.
